She Believed
by ladylala04
Summary: When someone you love makes a promise, you believe them. No matter how much it hurts, you continue to believe.  Very OOC Hr/R  Abuse fic.
1. Chapter 1

A/N: Hello everyone. This is the first fic I have ever written. I am a HUGE Ron fangirl, but I was having a bad week, so I took it out on him. Sorry Ron. I still love you.

Warning: This story includes domestic violence. If this topic is not your cup of tea, please do not continue. Rated M just to be safe.

Disclaimer: I do not own the Harry Potter franchise or the characters. They are a product of J.K. Rowling's wonderful mind. This story is purely a work of fiction and it serves for entertainment purposes only. I gain no monetary profit from this.

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Everyone knew Ron Weasley had a temper, a really _bad_ temper. So it was a complete and utter shock to everyone when he had fallen in love with the one person who'd push his buttons the most: Hermione Granger. Her insufferable need to always be right and his too-short fuse seemed like a match made in… well definitely not heaven, but maybe some place a little more annoying and little-less pleasant. But in spite of the nay-sayers, Ron and Hermione seemed to have made it work. For the first two years after the war, their relationship was perfect. They truly were the loveliest couple in the Wizarding World. Sure they bickered every now and then, but what new couple didn't?

All was well until one day, her infamously bossy attitude and sharp tongue had gone a step too far. He _really_ didn't mean to do it, but his body seemed to have acted on its own. Before the reality of what had happen fully sunk in, he was already apologizing and trying to soothe the fading red handprint he had left on her cheek.

The first time he hit her, she was furious with him for a week. She completely cut off all contact with him. She disconnected the Floo Network between their flats, put up wards so he couldn't _Apparate_into her flat, and she shooed away all of the owls that he sent to her office daily. It was only because of the obscenely large spectacle he made of himself on her doorstep at 2:00 am, did she speak to him again. In fear of what the neighbors would think she invited him in.

It was then she realized how hard their week of separation had been. His clothes were rumpled and wrinkled, his 5 o'clock shadow had bloomed into a full on beard, and his eyes were the same color as his ginger hair. She could also smell a distinct hint of Fire Whiskey emitting from him. He looked as if he had not gotten a proper nights rest since the incident, and that was six days ago! Upon closing the door, Ron Weasley sank to his knees, grabbed Hermione by the waist, and sobbed into her hip. It was the most pitiful sight she had ever seen.

Overwhelmed by a burning need to comfort him, she hesitantly raised her hands and gently rubbed her fingers through his messy uncombed hair. After a few moments of this odd yet tender embrace, Hermione could feel a tickling vibration on her hip. Ron had been mumbling something but she couldn't make it out because of how tightly his mouth had been pressed against her hip. Slowly, she trailed her fingers down the right side of his face, and gently lifted his chin up towards her.

His flushed face had been covered in a gross mixture of tears, snot, and spit. Hermione pulled her hand into the sleeve of her pajama top and began to wipe the mess away from his face.

"I'm so sorry!" he bellowed nearly incoherently. "I swear I never meant to do that. You know how much I love you. You know how much I need you. You know I could never go on without you, Hermione."

After that last statement, Ron sank his head back into her hip and started to sob again. Hermione stared at the top of his head for a moment, and then she continued to rub her fingers through his hair.  
With a blank expression on her face, she began to consider the things he had just said.

Of course she knew he was sorry for what he had done. She had seen the remorse and grief-stricken look in his eyes a millisecond after his hand left her face. However, she could not accept that type of treatment. Sure she had said a few things that had upset him; it still didn't give him the right to hit her the way he had.

But.., then again, Hermione had made some harsh commits on a touchy subject with him. She knew about the hard time he was having with Auror training, and on that day, she had been nagging him about doing better. _She_ even knew she had crossed the line when she compared him to Draco, but still, she didn't deserve to get hit.

What was she to do now? She really didn't want to throw away a relationship that took so long to develop into fruition. _And_ she believed him when he said how much he loved and needed her because she felt the same way. Hell, she had been in love with him since she was thirteen years old.

So after thinking about it for a moment, she made her decision. She trailed her fingers down the right side of his face and lifted his chin again. The tears, snot, and spit that reappeared would have been comical had it not been for the utter look of anguish on the face that the fluids covered.

After using her sleeve as a handkerchief once again, Hermione looked into his eyes and said, "We really need to talk about this."

"I know Mione," Ron sniffled.

She pulled her hands from his face, placed them on his hands around her waist, and urged him to stand up. As he rose, she began to notice all the little features that made him so attractive to her. She loved the fiery red mane that acted as a shaggy red curtain over his eyes, and how his eyes were as blue as the sky on a cloudless day. She loved the wonderful contrast his freckles had against his alabaster skin, and how the years of playing Quidditch and weightlifting had broaden his shoulders and given him a husky athletic built. But she absolutely loved the way his 6'3'' height towered over her. His size made her feel safe and comfort.

When he completely stood, she let go of one of his hands and led him to the kitchen. There, she made them booth a cup of tea and gave Ron a wet towel to wipe the now drying mucus and tear stains off his cheeks. For a while, they sat in silence and sipped their beverages. Eventually, Hermione decided that she would speak first.

Clearing her throat, she began,"Ronald, what you did was undeniably wrong."

Ron shifted and stared transfix at his tea cup. "I know. I'm sorry," he mumbled defeated.

"I _can_ not and _will_ not accept that type of treatment ever again. Do you understand?" she said.

Ron slid out if his seat, kneeled in front of her, and gathered her hands into his. "Mione, I know what I did was wrong and I'm so very sorry I did that. I promise you. _PROMISE YOU_, I will never lay hands on you again." he declared. He then began to tenderly kiss her hands while a few sad tear drops slipped from his eyes.

Hermione's heart began to melt at the heart-felt emotion Ron displayed before her. She leaned towards him and began to place soft butterfly kisses on his forehead. She then slowly moved her way down and engulfed his lips with a smooth and passionate kiss.

Ron released her hands, stood, and lifted her into his arms, bridal style, in one fluid motion without breaking their kiss. He carried her to the bedroom and laid her down. After removing her pajamas and knickers, he placed sorry and needy kisses all over her body. She rewarded him with moans of forgiveness and acceptance.

After coming down from their orgasmic clouds, Ron drew Hermione close to his chest and whispered, "I promise I will never hurt you again."

"I know", she sighed and smiled because she truly believed him.


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: Hello everyone. I just wanted to say I'm sorry for the mislabled first chapter. This story is very OOC; everyone knows Ron would never do this to Hermione. My muse was just in a dark place when I wrote this fic. I promise Ron will be treated like the wonderful loving man that he is in my next fic.

Warning: This chapter includes domestic violence and self-harm. If these topics are not your cup of tea, please do not continue.

Disclaimer: I do not own the Harry Potter franchise or the characters. They are a product of J.K. Rowling's wonderful mind. This story is purely a work of fiction and it serves for entertainment purposes only. I gain no monetary profit from this.

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Over the course of the next few months, things between Ron and Hermione had returned to normal. In an effort to show his remorse, Ron made sure that every day was special day for Hermione. He made her breakfast in bed, sent a fresh bouquet of flowers to her office weekly, and he occasionally sent her owls bearing messages of his undying love for her. Hermione was so in love that she had nearly forgotten about the whole negative affair. This blissful existence would all change on the night of the Ministry of Magic's Yule Celebration.

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After a fun night of drinking and chatting with old friends at the Ministry of Magic's Yule Celebration, Ron and Hermione Apparated back to his flat.

"Boy that was a lot of fun," a tipsy Hermione giggled as she swayed her way to the bedroom.

"_Sure_ it was", Ron grumbled loosening his tie and following closely behind her.

"Aww, come off it Ron. It was only a joke," she sighed. She slipped off her dress and placed it on a hanger.

"Hermione, you, as well as everyone else knows how much I dislike that _Cormac_. And for you,_ my woman_, to stand there and laugh at that tosspot's jokes was simply embarrassing." Ron huffed sitting on the bed removing his pants.

Hermione glared at him through the full length mirror that hung on the front of the closet door.

"Embarrassing", she repeated, nodding her head with a look of contempt on her face because for apparent some reason, that single word highly offended her. "Well, excuse me MR. WEASLEY for _embarrassing_ you." she replied rolling her eyes. Standing in a slip, she opened the closet door and hung up the dress.

It was either the alcohol or a lapse of maturity that she would later blame for the next comment she was about to make.

"I'll tell you what's more _embarrassing_, watching you struggle to have an intelligent conversation with your peers that didn't involve Quidditch. Too bad you couldn't glance into my brain and bluff your way out like you use to glance at my tests in school."

She knew that had been a low blow and she regretted saying it the moment it spewed for her mouth. 'Oh boy', she thought to herself, 'If he's ever going to forgive me, I'm really going to have to be amazing in bed tonight.' She took a step back and closed the closet door.

"Ron", she sighed, "I'm sorr-". She looked into the mirror and noticed he was no longer sitting on the bed.

Then suddenly, she felt a large hand grab a clump of hair on the back of her head. The hand shook her head like a ragdoll and forcefully pulled her backwards. Hermione desperately fought to keep her balance and frantically tried to seize the hand and release the crushing pressure it had on her head.  
He pulled her close to him.

"I'm sick of that mouth of yours," Ron growled in her ear. "Sometimes I wish you would just shut it," he said through his clenched jaw. He took his other hand and clamped it around her mouth.

"JUST. SHUT. YOUR. _FUCKING_. _MOUTH_!" He howled as he shook her head with each emphasis of the words. He then violently shoved her hard.

Hermione landed roughly on the floor. The impact badly bruised the side her hip. Ron stood and glared at her for a few seconds before he stormed out of the room. By some miracle, the tears that welled in her eyes had not shed through the violent shaking or the shove.

Hermione lay frozen on the floor, eyes wide staring at the carpet. Then as if someone has released a dam in her mind, she began to cry and wail loudly. She couldn't believe it. She couldn't believe he had hurt her again. After all of his promises and queenly treatment, Ron had hurt her again.

Regaining her composure, Hermione slipped on a pair of jeans, grabbed as many on her belongings as she could hold, and rushed out to the living room. Ron sat on the couch and watched her walk to the fireplace.

"Where are you going?" he asked. She ignored him and grabbed a handful of Floo powder. She quickly said her address and hurried into the green swirling flames. When she stepped into her sitting room, she immediately dropped her things and casted spells to disconnect the Floo and prevent Ron from _Apparating_ into her home. She collapsed in a heap on her couch and wept.

Several thoughts rushed through her head. What just happened? Why did it happen? What was wrong with Ron? Why was he acting this way? What should she do now? But before she could try to answer any of these questions, she heard loud banging at her front door. The noise almost startled her to death.

"Who is it?" she yelled hysterically.

"Mione it's me, please open up," the voice, which belonged to Ron, replied.

"No! Go away! I never want to see you again!" she screamed.

"Mione please, I'm really sorry. My temper got the best of me. Please let me in."

She could tell that he was crying through the door. "No Ron! You PROMISED. You promised you wouldn't hurt me and you broke it. I never want to see you face again!" she sobbed.

There was silence on the other side of the door and for a moment she thought he had left. Then she heard a sickening dull thud against the door. The sound of it made her jump. The noise continued and it created a horrifyingly rhythmic beat.

"Ron?" She questioned, "Ron is that you? What are you doing?"

The thud continued. "Ron, stop. Please stop and go away," she said cautiously. The thud only continued. She began to panic; it sounded as if he were violently banging something against the door. She placed herself against the door and was shocked at the shaking force that was behind it.

"Ron please!" Hermione yanked the door open, screamed, and almost fainted at the sight before her.

Her door had been covered in long streaks of blood that raced their way to the ground.

Ron stumbled in and fell face first into the flat. Copious amounts of blood oozed from his forehead and pooled onto the carpet below him. The bloody scene reminded Hermione of that terrible muggle horror movie Harry had convinced her to watch last year. "Oh, No!" she cried.

She crouched down and turned Ron over onto his back. She looked in dismay at the gaping wound on his forehead. He had been using his head as a battering ram against the door. "Mione… Please…" Ron sputtered due to the vast amount of blood that poured from his mouth. "Shh, it's going to be alright Ron. I'm here. I'm right here with you." She said.

She gathered him into her lap to lull him while she assessed the damage that had been done. Besides the gaping hole, he managed to break his nose and knock six of his front teeth loose. As bad as the damage had been, he didn't need to go to St. Mungo's. Luckily for the both of them, Hermione had taken a summer course in Magical First Aid.

Her first task was to close the wound on his forehead. She ran to her medicine cabinet and retrieved the Essence of Dittany vial. A few years ago, she had used the same potion on Ron when he was accidently Splinched. She poured a few drops on his injury and in a few moments, new skin was already starting to appear.

Next, she used episkey to mend his nose and a simple spell to stop his bleeding. After he was stable, she levitated him and laid him gently on the sofa. She ran to the loo, grabbed a towel, filled a basin with warm water, and placed it on the coffee table. She scourgifyed the blood from the carpet and door, and then she shut the door.

She knelled down next to Ron and began to wipe the blood away from his mouth and face. 'How could he do this to himself?' she pondered silently. 'The sheer willpower it took to continue pounding his head with a broken nose is mind-boggling.'

"Hermione…" Ron moaned.

"Shh, I'm here." She whispered.

"Hermione I'm really sorry."

"I know."

"There's something I want to say to ask you." He tried to sit up but she pushed him back down and said, "No. It's too soon. You need to remain still for a little while. When you fall asleep, I'll bring you to the bedroom."

"No." he moaned, "I need to do this now. Please help me sit up." Ron braced the sofa and began to raise himself up. Hermione quickly placed her hands on his back to help him up. He sat dazed for a moment, and then he slipped off the sofa and onto his knees. Hermione swiftly stood and scooted out of his way because she figured he probably needed to vomit.

Ron looked up at her with blurry red drowsy eyes and said, "Hermione, I know I messed up again. I'm really sorry. I can understand if you really never want to see me again."

Hermione was confused. Her emotions were too scattered to make any decisions right now. All she knew was that Ron was hurt and she really wanted him to rest right now. So she said whatever she could to calm him. "No, it's okay Ron. We both said and did some things that were stupid and irrational tonight." As soon as she said that, a tiny voice buzzed in her head and said, 'Why are you excusing him?" Hermione instantly shook the thought away.

"Hermione, I know I have hurt you again, but tonight, I vow that I will spend the rest of my life making it up to you. " Ron said.

He leaned forward and she suspected he was going to hold her and cry again, but that wasn't the case. He painfully stuck his hand in his pocket and began rummaging for something. Once he found it, he pulled out the small object and held it tightly in his closed fist. Hermione noticed his hands were trembling terribly and she thought it was because of his injuries.

Ron looked up at her and said, "Hermione Jean Granger, will you please bestow me the wonderful honor of being my _wife_?"He said the last word with a gulp and opened the box. The ring inside was the most beautiful thing she had ever seen in her life.

This was the day she had hoped for. This was the day she had dreamed of since she was sixteen years old. The man that she loved more than anything in this world had asked _her_ to be his wife. As a fresh sheen of tears welled in her eyes and slowly ran down her cheeks, she said in a barely audible breathless voice, "Yes Ron. Yes I will."


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: Hello everyone. This is the last chapter of the story. The muse that created it has gone and I don't if she will return. If anyone has any susgestions please feel free to PM me and hopefully I can continue with the story. I know some people do not like to see their Ronniekins behaving like this, but this is the story that I decided to write. Please pay attention to the warnings.

I wanted to give a special shout out to rinanina101. Thank you for your kind words, you helped me post this last chapter.

Warning: This story includes domestic violence. If this topic is not your cup of tea, please do not continue. Rated M

Disclaimer: I do not own the Harry Potter franchise or the characters. They are a product of J.K. Rowling's wonderful mind. This story is purely a work of fiction and it serves for entertainment purposes only. I gain no monetary profit from this.

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This was the second night in a row Hermione found it difficult to sleep. It seemed as if every time she tried to close her eyes her mind would flood with dreadful images and thoughts. Determined to get a full nights rest, she eased herself from the bed and headed downstairs to make herself a sleeping draught.

Slowly, she milled about the kitchen gathering the ingredients she would need then she set the items on the hearth and began to brew. She tried to concentrate solely on her task but those pesky thoughts and images she tried so hard to ignore surfaced again. Suddenly the little voice that she had heard the other night was buzzing in her head again.

"Why did you say yes?" the annoying voice in her head asked.

'Because I love him, and I'm ready to move on to the next step in our relationship.' Hermione firmly replied to herself.

"Yes, it's true that you love him, but did you even consider the things that he _has_ done and possibly _could_ do to you in the future."

'I have, and I'm not going to let two isolated incidents stand in the way of my happiness. He has apologized and I have accepted it. There's no more to be said on the subject. '

"OK, he did apologize for the first time and he promised he wouldn't do it again but what happened the second time."

Hermione closed her eyes and saw flashes of the terrible events that occurred the other night in her mind. Her heart began to race when she remembered the terror she felt when Ron grabbed her hair, the humiliation of his screaming and rough shaking, and the sharp pain in her hip as she collided into the floor. But the one thing that chilled her the most was the cold dead look in Ron's eyes as he stared down at her.

A single tear broke free from under her closed eye lid and slowly cascaded down her cheek.

Hermione quickly wiped the salty sadness away, mentally shook herself, and repeated, 'Like I said, those were isolated incidents. I trust Ronald. Sure he can be a bit… high strung, but he's been under a lot of stress lately. I mean after all this time, he's still mourning his brother Fred, and he's been run ragged between helping George at the shop and Auror training. To top it all off, I have to go and bitch him out about issues I know he's sensitive about.'

"So… are you saying you deserved that?" the stupid voice asked her.

'Of course not!' Hermione yelled.

All was quiet for a moment then the voice said, "Well, you made your decision about this, so I'll leave you alone for now. But just remember that if someone could do this to themselves…"

A picture of her cuddling a very bloody Ron in her arms flashed in her mind.

"Then they could do much worst to you."

And with that, the conversation she had with herself ended. She sat and stared at the fire blazing in the hearth.

Hermione Granger was a very logical person. Whenever she was faced with a task; she would confront it head on and she didn't give up until she was satisfied with the results. But when it came to matters of the heart, she always felt lost and inadequate.

Logic and reason told her that if she continued with this relationship, she could be possibly dooming herself to a lifetime of abuse. She should cut her losses now before her emotions become too invested and it would be too hard for her to leave.

However, her heart told her that Ron was the _only_ man for her. _He_ made her feel special and encouraged her to do her best. _He_ truly loved her and he seriously had not meant to hurt her.

And as the sleeping draught bubbled over and became ruined, Hermione realized for the first time in her life, she let her heart overrule her reason.

When her senses returned, she quickly removed the cauldron from the fire and poured the spoiled contents down the drain. She wasn't disappointed with the outcome of the potion because she actually felt tired all of a sudden. She put the items she used away and crept back to her room.

She quietly opened the door and carefully eased back into the bed as not to disturb Ron. He had been asleep for nearly two days recovering from the injuries he inflected on himself. She lay lightly on the side that wasn't bruised from her fall and snuggled closer to him.

When she finally settled and began to doze off, her eyes flew open with a gasp because a dull pain shot through her bruised hip. In his sleep, Ron was trying to pull her closer to him. She moved his hand higher on her waist and scooted closer to him.

Instead of leaving his hand in the new spot, he returned it to its original position and gave it a light possessive squeeze. Hermione winced and tried to ignore the pain so she could return to sleep. Surely he hadn't meant to do that because he was asleep after all. She knew they would definitely need to talk in the morning.

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The next morning when Hermione awoke, she realized Ron must have been feeling better because he was missing from the bed and she could smell breakfast wafting into the room. She went to the loo to perform her ablutions; she threw on a housecoat and went to join him in the kitchen.

When she entered, he had his back towards her. She snuck up behind him and wrapped he arms around her waist. "Hmmm… good morning Mr. Weasley," she said in a low husky voice.

"Oi. Good morning future Mrs. Weasley." He smiled back at her. "Have a seat, I just finished."

She sat at the table while he brought over the toast, jam, sausages, and juice. They happily ate in silence. Neither of them had brought up the dramatic ordeal that played out a few nights ago.

"Did you take your last dose of _Adhaerer Dentes_? I left it for you on the nightstand." Hermione asked.

"Oh yeah, I'll take it after breakfast. Merlin that stuff is vile." Ron complained.

"Well, you had better, unless you would like for me to transfigure some silverware for your replacement teeth." She smirked.

"Using cheap silverware to make dentures over quality metal like gold or platinum. Boy you're starting to sound like a Weasley already." He chuckled.

They fell back into silence. Hermione decided to bring up the elephant in the room. However, this time Ron beat her to the punch.

"I'm sorry about the other night." He mumbled pushing a piece of toast around on his plate.

"Well it wasn't alright, but I'll forgive you if you forgive me." She said.

"Forgive you? Whatever for?"

"Well," she explained, "last night I realized that sometimes I can be a bit… much."

"Yeah sure, but that's how you are all of the time, I'm the one who let it get to me. I should be the only one apologizing." He huffed.

"But I'm the one who knows about your insecurities, yet I still shoot off at the mouth. I believe we both should try to keep our passions intact so we will not have another blow up, agree?" she asked.

"Agree." He said and planted a kiss on her lips.

She glanced nervously at him and said, "I do have one more request to make… no matter how upset you get, please don't ever harm yourself again."

Ron turned red with embarrassment, looked down, and said, "I promise I won't."

Silence consumed them again, then Hermione said, "What were you thinking when you were doing that to yourself?"

Ron sighed and pushed his plate away. His skin began to flush and he looked as if he might become sick at any moment.

"It all happened so fast," he whispered. "I was shocked at what I had done to you and I went into the sitting room to clear my head; then when I heard you crying I felt like I just wanted to die." The words rushed out of him.

"When you came out with all of your stuff," he paused choking back his tears, "When I saw you with all of your things, I knew we were over for sure. A dreadful panic washed over me and I knew I just had to see you one last time. Then when I got to your flat, I felt like the stupid door was the only thing that kept us apart." His tears were flowing freely now.

"I hope you know how sorry I truly am."He reached out and took her hand and trailed little kisses up and down her palm and wrists.

Hermione gaze at him with and a new realization came to her. No matter how bad things could get she could never leave him. He had completely fallen apart the first time she left and he almost died the second time. They needed each other and if something bad happened to him because of her, she wouldn't know what to do with herself. Hermione knew she was in the relationship for the long haul and she didn't care if that stupid little voice in her head thought differently.


End file.
